Is Israel Skeptical of Palestine’s Commitment to Peace?

Prime Minister Netanyahu in doubt of Palestine’s commitment to peace with Israel

As the world waits for Israel and Palestine to finally sign an agreement for peace, speculations started to stir the headlines nowadays that there is a growing doubt in Israel that the Palestinians are committed to peace.

In his remarks with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the issue by saying that Israel is committed to advance peace with the Palestinians. However, the Palestinians are acting otherwise for the actions and words of Palestinian leaders are embracing terrorism instead.

Netanyahu and President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, 18 May 2009.

“There’s growing doubt in Israel that the Palestinians are committed to peace.” – Prime Minister Netanyahu

Earlier this week, Gaza attacked Israel with another rocket Sunday evening, sending people in the Sderot area to bomb shelters.

In addition, Hamas attacked the area south of Ashkelon with a rocket on Thursday and on Wednesday night.

President Abbas glorifying terrorists

According to Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Abbas embraced terrorists as heroes.

“To glorify the murders of innocent women and men as heroes is an outrage.” – Prime Minister Netanyahu

The Israel leader said how can President Abbas stands against terrorism when he embraces the perpetrators of terrorism and glorifies them as heroes. He criticized the Palestinian leader when he can’t stand against terrorists and stand with the terrorists.

Israel subjected to a growing wave of terrorist attacks.

Prime Minister Netnyahu pointed out that in the six months since the start of peace negotiations, the Palestinian Authority continues its unabated incitement against the state of Israel.

He said the Palestinian Government incitement is rampant and it can be seen in the state-controlled media including the government-controlled media, in the schools, in textbooks, in kindergartens.

“You see it at every part of Palestinian society.” – Prime Minister Netanyahu

He noted that instead of preparing Palestinians for peace, Palestinian leaders are teaching them to hate Israel which is not the way to achieve peace.

Prime Minister Netanyahu: President Abbas must lead his people away from terror and incitement, towards reconciliation and peace.

Prime Minister urged President Abbas to be a model for peace. He added that the people of Israel aprepared to make such an historic peace, but a Palestinian partner must also be equally prepared to make this peace as well.

He underlined that peace means ending incitement; it means fighting terrorism and condemning terrorism; it means recognizing Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people; it means meeting Israel’s security needs; and it means being prepared to truly end the conflict once and for all.

Secretary Kerry: The commitment of the United States to Israel is ironclad.

With his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem, US Secretary Kerry affirmed the US strong commitment to the security of Israel.

Secretary Kerry said that Israel has to be strong to make peace and that peace will make Israel stronger not just with its near neighbors, but throughout the world.

That is why Secretary Kerry highlighted that the United States has remained in close contact with both sides to attain lasting peace once and for all.

The US is committed to working with both parties to reach a permanent status agreement that will end conflict and all claims.

Secretary Kerry said he plans to work with both sides more intensely in these next days to narrow the differences on a framework that will provide the agreed guidelines for permanent status negotiations.

He added that an agreed framework would be a significant breakthrough which would address all of the core issues and would create the fixed, defined parameters by which the parties would then know where they are going and what the end result can be.

President Obama and Secretary Kerry are deeply committed to this process.

According to Secretary Kerry, President Obama is committed to this process with an understanding that the possibilities provided by peace are dramatic and they are worth struggling for: Two states for two peoples living side-by-side in peace and stability and security.

“Peace is possible today, I believe, because the leaders Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas have both each taken significant steps for peace.” – Secretary Kerry

He noted that both sides are going to need to make tough choices to ensure that peace is not just a possibility but is a reality for Israelis and Palestinians for now and for future generations.

Is Israel ready to advance peace with Palestine?

Last month, seeking for long-term peace in the Middle East region, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is ready for historic peace, and it’s a peace based on two states for two peoples.

In a joint statement with US Secretary John Kerry in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel-Palestine negotiation is a peace that Israel can and must be able to defend itself, by itself, with its own forces against any foreseeable threat.

The Israeli leader pointed out that Israel continues to honor all understandings reached in prior negotiations.

Israel Stands By The Terms Of The Agreement

Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel and Palestine agreed three months ago on certain terms and stands by those terms as well.

In addition, Prime Minister Netanyahu stressed his concern about their progress because he sees the Palestinians continuing with incitement, continuing to create artificial crises, continuing to avoid, run away from the historic decisions that are needed to make a genuine peace.

He hoped Secretary Kerry’s visit in Israel will help steer the two parties back to a place where they could achieve the historical peace that the two countries seek and that their people deserve.

Through a US-mediated initiative to end the conflict between the two parties, Israel and Palestine held their first peace negotiations in nearly three years in Washington DC on July 30.

Israel captured East Jerusalem along with the West Bank and Gaza in the Six-Day War in 1967, but annexed the city as its united capital in a move not recognized by the international community. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future State.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled since late September last year following Israel’s refusal to extend a 10-month freeze on settlement activity. That decision prompted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to withdraw from direct talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Although the US and many others lay the blame for all peace failures on Israel, the Palestinians continue their own agenda unabated.

Fatah, the party of Mahmoud Abbas, now uses social media to glorify terrorists, posting “They are our role models,” on facebook. They praise murderers as symbols of their nation. No mention of this is ever made by Secretary Kerry, or Secretary Clinton before him. Yet Secretary Kerry asks for good faith and a serious effort on both sides.

Mina Fabulous follows the news, especially what is going on in the US State Department. Mina turns State Department waffle into plain English. Mina Fabulous is the pen name of Carmen Avalino, the NewsBlaze production editor. When she isn’t preparing stories for NewsBlaze writers, she writes stories, but to separate her editing and writing identities, she uses the name given by her family and friends.